Latex compositions have been widely used in providing decorative or protective coatings as well as in providing binders or saturants for woven and non-woven substrates and paper substrates. In order to provide latex compositions with flame retardant properties, it is common practice to incorporate halogen-containing monomers such as vinyl chloride into the latex resin. However, a problem with this practice is that when the resin burns, hydrochloric acid is released. This invention, in at least one embodiment, provides a solution to this problem.